Svitolina downs Wang to reach US Open fourth round

Elina Svitolina has advanced to the fourth round of the US Open. (Reuters pic)

NEW YORK: Seventh seed Elina Svitolina easily dispatched China’s Wang Qiang 6-4 6-4 to reach the fourth round of the US Open for the second year running on Friday.

The Ukrainian won 70% of her first serve points and converted all five of her break point opportunities to see off world number 52 Wang, who committed 27 unforced errors and three double faults on a cloudy day at Louis Armstrong Stadium.

Wang broke at the start of the second set to put pressure on the 23-year-old, but the speedy Svitolina would not be denied and hit a crosscourt forehand volley on match point to advance.

“For me it was very important to take one point at a time and always put pressure, because the last time I played her, I lost the second set because I was a little bit inconsistent with my game,” Svitolina told reporters.

She said her game is improving each round as she becomes more battle-tested in New York, where she hopes to win her first Grand Slam title.

“From the beginning, I think I was getting better and better,” she said.

“Each match gave me a different look on my game. I’m working really hard on day offs on my game to be ready for the matches.”

Next up for Svitolina is a fourth-round clash with 19th-seeded Latvian Anastasija Sevastova on Sunday.